55,000 units of blood donated in 2021 in Dubai
If healthy people with a good haemoglobin count donate blood once every three months, they not only help save precious lives, but can also help build their own health, said a top Dubai Health Authority official.
On the occasion of International World Blood Donor day, Dr Mai Raouf, director of the Dubai Blood Donation Centre told Gulf News, “There is evidence to prove that donating blood regularly has a lot of health benefits. It not only helps stimulate growth of the red blood cells, but also stimulates the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells; it reduces the excess iron content in one’s body and protects the heart and brain from strokes.”
Dr Raouf was countering many myths and fears that people have about blood donation. Many fear that donating one unit of blood (450ml) periodically can weaken them. “On the contrary, donating blood is a very healthy practice. This year, the slogan given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the blood donation campaign 2021 is ‘Give Blood keep the world beating’.”
Voluntary donations
During the Covid-19 pandemic, with millions of people were hospitalised around the world, voluntary blood donations helped hospitals save lives whenever blood was required. In the UAE, residents are regularly encouraged to donate blood voluntarily. In 2020, the blood donation centre collected 55,000 units of blood with 66,000 voluntary donors registering for blood donation.
Dr Raouf said, “Many of the donors registered their interest through DHA’s app, which has a subsection called DAMMI, filling in all their details and coming to the centre for donations. Many just walked in to donate. Of the 66,000 people who registered, not all were able to donate as we conduct proper tests to see who is eligible and healthy to donate blood. These units collected were life-saving. About 36 per cent went to the Thalassaemia ward at Latifa Hospital, 30 per cent to private hospitals for road traumas, surgeries, and the rest to all DHA hospitals.”
Dr Raouf added that every responsible resident must voluntarily donate blood.